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25 Satisfying Pork Tenderloin Dinners

Pork tenderloin is a speedy weeknight dinner that feels like a special occasion meal. From grilled to roasted to stuffed, these healthy pork tenderloin recipes show you delicious and easy ways to dress up this succulent pork cut.

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Healthy Pork Tenderloin Recipes

Pork tenderloin is lean, quick-cooking, and delicious. It stands up to bold flavors and is so versatile it can move from down-home casual to elegant to global, as this collection of recipes shows. At the grocery store, steer clear of pre-marinated tenderloins or ones injected with solution to “enhance juiciness.” Those products are typically loaded with sodium. Instead, add your own seasonings and stay in control of the flavor and salt.

First up, this gorgeous main uses just one skillet—first to sear and roast the pork, then to caramelize the fennel and mushrooms. Arugula isn't only for salads; it wilts nicely when sautéed in the pan juices from the pork tenderloin.

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Pork Tenderloin and Collards Skillet

The Southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas and collard greens in the New Year is a delicious one, though not remotely quick enough for a weeknight. Until now, that is. Collards fair nicely in a quick sauté; slice into thin ribbons so they wilt quickly and stay tender. Canned black-eyed peas also save time. Pork is a natural pairing for greens and black-eyed peas. Here a lean, perfectly seared pork tenderloin is the star.

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Smoky Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Photo: Jennifer Causey

A generous amount of smoked paprika forms a nice crust on the pork as it sears in the pan, while also contributing big, bold, smoky flavor. If you haven't invested in a jar or tin of this powerhouse ingredient, we suggest that you add it to your pantry: It’s great in spice rubs for meat; stirred into chili or other soups that could use a lift; sprinkled on oven fries; or dusted onto hummus for a flavor boost. The pork cooks to perfection using a two-step method. First, it’s seared in a skillet until beautifully browned, and then it’s finished in the oven until done to the perfect temperature for juicy results.

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Roasted Pork Tenderloin With Cabbage

This modern twist on hearty German fare gets a fiber boost from savoy cabbage and a crunchy-tart finish from cranberries and almonds. Be sure to let the pork rest atop the cabbage mixture; the juices infuse it with rich, meaty flavor.

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Apricot-Mustard Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Photo: Jennifer Causey

This company-worthy dish turns fresh apricots into a deliciously herby, tangy-sweet sauce and glaze for meaty pork tenderloin. When apricots are not in season, you can make the sauce with plums, which are often available year-round. Try transforming the recipe into a perfect brunch treat by tucking slices of pork and spoonfuls of the fruity sauce into whole-grain biscuits; your guests will rave. Serve with a simple vinaigrette-dressed spinach salad tossed with red onion, shaved pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, and pistachios—dinner is done. Leftover sauce? Use it as a sandwich topper or spoon onto cream cheese and serve with crackers for a quick appetizer.

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Orange-Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Homemade teriyaki sauce is much fresher and more vibrant than bottled sauce and makes for a delicious sweet-salty glaze on lean pork tenderloin. Mirin lends this sauce a rich flavor; it’s a sweet rice cooking wine that you'll find near the rice vinegar on the Asian foods aisle. If you can't find it, you can substitute sweet Riesling, dry or cream sherry, or sweet marsala wine. It would be a shame to let any of that luscious sauce go to waste; serve over a bed of brown rice to soak it all up.

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Coriander-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Potatoes

Crushed whole spices create a beautiful crust on a seared and roasted pork tenderloin. You don't need a spice grinder or mortar and pestle; place the peppercorns and coriander seeds in a ziplock bag and crush gently with a small, heavy skillet until very coarsely ground. Refrigerated potatoes are parcooked, saving you oven time. Coat and sear the pork while the oven preheats. Make the yogurt sauce while the pork and potatoes bake.

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Peach-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

A sweet and savory peach glaze caramelizes on the pork as it cooks to perfection in a grill pan. We cut the tenderloin in half crosswise for easier maneuvering and faster cooking, and we tent the pork with foil to hold in more heat while it's in the pan. You could also use a cast-iron skillet if you don't have a grill pan. Serve with Watermelon-Tomato Salad.

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Pork and Asparagus Stir-Fry

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Stir-frying is a great technique for a lean, tender meat like pork tenderloin, because you can cook it quickly without drying it out. The velveting technique—coating the pork in a cornstarch slurry—helps keep the meat supple while it cooks over high heat. Sake, or rice wine, is fragrant and slightly sweet, a perfect addition to this simple spring stir-fry. You can also use dry sherry wine or a small splash of sherry vinegar. If using larger asparagus, cut lengthwise into slices. The key to stir-fry success is to have all your ingredients measured, prepped, and at the ready. The stir-frying process moves fast, so it's critical that you're able to add ingredients quickly to the pan to avoid scorching.

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Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms and Onions

Use a stainless steel pan instead of a nonstick here, if possible. A stainless surface will better collect fond (also known as browned bits) from the pork, which is then deglazed to lend rich flavor to the mushrooms and onions as they cook. Cook pork tenderloin on the stovetop instead of oven-roasting it; this gives it a delicious brown crust. Medium heat is key: It browns the pork without burning or toughening the surface before the middle reaches the right temp.

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Perfect Pork Tenderloin

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Think of this refreshing salad as a deconstructed spring roll: cool rice noodles, crisp vegetables, and a sweet-and-spicy vinaigrette instead of a dipping sauce. Top it all off with savory stir-fried pork. Look for brown rice noodles on the Asian foods aisle of your supermarket or in your local Asian market. We love that they offer up whole-grain goodness, and, once cooked, they’re pretty much indistinguishable from white rice noodles. If you're unfamiliar with fish sauce, you'll find it on the Asian foods aisle, too. We find it to be indispensable in the kitchen, lending savory depth to all kinds of dishes; try a splash in meatloaf or burgers; guacamole; meat or chicken marinades; or spaghetti sauce.

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Pork Medallions with Spring Succotash

Photo: Jennifer Causey

We call it spring succotash, but the frozen edamame really makes this dish a year-round option. A buttery white wine sauce is the perfect match for tender sweet carrots and nutty edamame—a quick and easy combination that would also work beautifully with simply grilled fish or chicken. Most succotash recipes feature corn; here, we sub in fiber- and protein-packed edamame. Sometimes life just calls for more green.

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Pork, Bean, and Escarole Soup

Photo: Jennifer Causey

This filling soup is Mediterranean inspired. Escarole is less bitter than other members of the endive family, with hearty leaves similar to kale or chard, which you can sub here. Use just the leaves for this soup. Mashing some of the beans lends the broth more body. For even deeper flavor, try sautéing the tomato paste with the onion and garlic, stirring frequently. This lightly caramelizes the pasta and gives the dish greater complexity. A drizzle of top-quality extra-virgin olive oil over each serving would also be a nice touch, enhancing the richness of the soup and adding tantalizing aroma.

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Caribbean Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Photo: Jennifer Causey

We cut the tenderloin in half before grilling for a nicely charred crust and a juicy inside in half the time. Traditionally, jerk seasoning is meant to be spicy, but we found the heat to be moderate and not overwhelming in this dish. Fresno chiles look like red jalapeños, and are slightly milder than green jalapeños. The grilled pineapple salsa is a fantastic accompaniment for the pork, well balanced between sweet pineapple, tart lime, pungent onion, and fragrant cilantro. The salsa would also work well with grilled chicken or fish. Serve with ice cold Red Stripe Jamaican lager for a full-on island meal experience.

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Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Peppers

Photo: Jennifer Causey

This dish comes together in just one pan, making for quick clean up and tons of flavor as the elements build on each other. Corn starch gives the sauce a little thickness and high glossy shine. While some folks are anchovy-averse, they're a wonderful addition to dishes like this because they add meaty, umami flavor to veggies without tasting fishy. Anchovies are often a secret ingredient in some of the most delicious marinara sauces. Round out the meal with a creamy polenta spiked with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and be sure to ladle a little sauce over it, just as you'd put gravy over mashed potatoes.

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Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Potatoes and Green Onions

Photo: Romulo Yanes

This simple pork supper is a one-skillet wonder—it'll be your new go-to meal on busy weeknights, but it also makes a great dish to serve for company. The green onions become tender and slightly sweet as they roast, a nice contrast to the spiced pork and crispy potatoes. The green onions and new potatoes make it a great springtime dish, but you can really enjoy this any time of year. Cooking the pork and potatoes in bacon drippings adds luscious, smoky, rich flavor to the whole dish, while the crumbled bacon garnish lends savory crunch. A simple green salad with a lemony vinaigrette would make a perfect accompaniment.

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Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Blistered Broccoli Rabe

Photo: Jason Varney

If you don’t count staples like cooking spray, olive oil, salt, and pepper, this full plate clocks in at only three ingredients! Pork tenderloin medallions cook quickly in the skillet, and need only a little salt, pepper, and sweet-tart balsamic vinegar for rich and complex flavor. After cutting the pork into eight even slices, flatten them slightly by pressing on them with the heel of your hand; this will promote quicker and more even cooking. Broiling broccoli rabe makes it nice and crisp while imparting a great charred flavor. Sub chopped broccoli, if you wish, and serve with lemon wedges.

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Roast Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Apricot Jam

Photo: Jennifer Causey

When you're serving a crowd, aim to keep the entrée simple while also making it delicious. Roast Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Apricot Jam achieves both goals beautifully: It’s done in only 30 minutes, requires basic pantry staples, and the sweet-spicy jam is the perfect finishing touch. For more heat in the sauce, double the crushed red pepper, or try stirring in a seeded habanero chile or serrano pepper. To turn this into a fitting brunch option, serve with split Orange, Honey, and Thyme Biscuits; for a fantastic lunch idea, serve on pretzel or onion rolls.

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Sweet and Tangy Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Jellies and jams work wonders in meat glazes. They're fruity, sweet, and full of pectin that thickens up the glaze so it clings and coats the meat. We use grape jelly here, but apple, pear, apricot, or peach jelly would also be delicious. An equal amount of vinegar in the glaze balances the sweetness with acid and makes the glaze sing. You may not often cook at 500°F, but tender, quick-cooking meats can handle the high temps, and are often better off for it. The hot oven puts a seared crust on the meat and sets and caramelizes the glaze in no time. We like fresh thyme in this dish because it's an herb that pairs wonderfully with both pork and sweet fruit.

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Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orange-Sesame Asparagus and Rice

Photo: Jennifer Causey

This recipe is intended to give you extra pork for dinner later in the week. If you'd rather not make the extra pork, simply use one pork tenderloin (instead of two), and halve the marinade; the rest of the recipe will work for four servings. The soy sauce and fish sauce in the marinade amplify the meatiness of the pork, while the brown sugar and maple syrup offer sweet notes to balance while also helping the pork brown quickly in the grill pan as the sugars caramelizes on the ridges.

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Chile-Orange Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Photo: Randy Mayor

Orange marmalade is the surprising hero in this easy weeknight dinner. The fruit spread already has a lot going for it as the basis of a sauce—it’s thick, it’s sweet, and it’s pleasingly bitter. Add apple cider vinegar for tang and adobo sauce from a can of smoky chipotle chiles, and you have a delicious concoction that’s destined to go into regular rotation. The sweet-tart-smoky flavor goes perfectly with pork tenderloin (and the accompanying roasted sweet potatoes), but it would also complement pork chops, roasted chicken thighs, or lamb chops.

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BBQ Pork Tenderloin with Bell Pepper Relish

Photo: Jennifer Causey

The bold relish, what Southerners call chowchow, offers a colorful, tangy contrast to the pork.